Eknath Shinde was the united Shiv Sena’s most senior leader in Thane, a satellite city of Mumbai and a stronghold of the party. The Shiv Sena, launched by Bal Thackeray in 1966, split in 2022 when Eknath Shinde led a rebellion to topple the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government. The new faction then formed a government with the BJP, with Shinde as CM. The new party — Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) — now claims to be the real Shiv Sena.
Shinde was brought up in Thane, which continues to be his stronghold. In his early years in the party, he was influenced by Anand Dhige, a prominent Shiv Sena leader in the area. A Shiv Sainik who headed a shakha back in 1980s, Shinde became a corporator in the Thane Municipal Corporation before becoming an MLA in 2004. He has been a member of the assembly for four terms now. In 2019, in the Uddhav Thackeray government, he worked as Minister of Urban Development and Public Works and Minister of Home Affairs (Acting).
In the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, the Shinde faction contested on 15 seats and won 7 winning 46% of the seats, whereas Uddhav faction won 9 out of 21 winning only 42% of the seats. Clearly percentage wise the battle was won by the Shindes. Uddhav has overestimated the dalit and minority’s support.